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Up to 3 feet of snow is expected to fall in the mountains as the second of two much-needed winter storms moves into Southern California. Tony Shin reports from Big Bear for the NBC4 News at 11 p.m. on Feb. 27, 2014. (Published Friday, Feb 28, 2014)

Updated at 1:40 AM PST on Friday, Feb 28, 2014

After rain Wednesday, the second of back-to-back storms is expected to dump a "potent punch" of up to 3 feet of powder starting Friday on SoCal's mountains.

Resorts Welcome Possible Snow

What they really need is snow, but Wednesday night, the ski resorts in and around Big Bear got rain instead. A second, larger storm is expected to begin dumping snow in mountain areas on Friday. Tony Shin reports from Snow Summit for the NBC4 News at 5 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 27, 2014. (Published Thursday, Feb 27, 2014)

Possibly a foot of snow could fall at elevations as low as 5,500 feet Friday night, forecasters said. Areas above 7,000 feet could see as much as 3 feet of snow, according to the National Weather Service.

As of Friday morning, snow levels were above 10,000 feet, according to the National Weather Service.

Dramatic Southern California Rain Photos

The wind is also a major aspect of this week's storms.

A high wind watch will be in effect in the Antelope Valley from late Thursday through Friday evening.

Rain Hits SoCal in First of Back-to-Back Storms

The first of two storms hit on Wednesday in parched Southern California.

The storm that arrived Wednesday night dropped 1.07 inches of rain in downtown Los Angeles by 9 a.m., and just under an inch at Los Angeles International Airport, according to the National Weather Service. About a half-inch fell in Van Nuys, while Newhall had more than an inch, Pasadena had an
inch and Mount Wilson had 1.2 inches.

“Looks like a bit of winter is heading our way for Friday and Saturday,” Bear Mountain officials said on a statement posted on their website. “Plan on driving up Friday so you can enjoy some freshies Saturday morning!”

While Snow Summit is closed Thursday due to wind and weather, it will re-open early Friday in anticipation for some snow.